ZILPHA KEATLEY SNYDER

The recipient of three Newbery Honor Book awards for "The Egypt Game", "The Headless Cupid" and "The Witches of Worm", Zilpha Keatley Snyder has been writing books for children since 1964 when her first book, "A Season of Ponies", was published. Since that time she has completed 43 books, mostly for children aged 9 to 13, but also including two books for young adults, four picture books for younger children and a book of poetry.

Three early titles, "The Velvet Room", "The Changeling", and "Black and Blue Magic", are now back in print in handsome new editions with the original illustrations by Alton Raible. Zilpha received so many letters and emails from devoted fans looking for these books, that she made arrangements through The Authors' Guild with iUniverse to republish them. They may be purchased directly through iUniverse.com or through many on-line bookstores such as Barnes & Noble, Inc. and Amazon.com.

"Below the Root", "And All Between" and "Until the Celebration", Zilpha's imaginative science fantasy of the land of Green-Sky, has also been reissued by iUniverse. And yes, the beautiful and atmospheric illustrations by Alton Raible are still there. The trilogy formed the basis of a now classic computer game, "Below the Root" that was released by Spinnaker Software in 1984. The game is still playable by means of emulator software, which can be downloaded from the net. (See wikipedia for much more detail.)

In addition to Newbery honors, the list of her publications, awards and foreign editions. includes titles named Notable Books by the American Library Association, Best Books by the School Library Journal, books honored by the American Library Guild, and one book, "The Witches of Worm", that was nominated for the National Book Award. "The Headless Cupid" was selected as the sole U.S. nominee for the international Hans Christian Andersen Honors Award and "The Egypt Game" was awarded First Prize in the New York Herald Tribune Spring Book Festival. "The Changeling" and "The Headless Cupid" were awarded Christopher Medals by the Catholic Educators of America and school children in Kansas voted "The Headless Cupid" the winner of the state's William Allen White Award. Her books have been published in translation in sixteen foreign countries including Germany, Holland, South Africa, Poland, England, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Japan, Taiwan, Italy, Russia, Korea, Czechoslovakia and Thailand.

All of Zilpha's books can still be purchased somewhere. Some are at local bookstores or they can be ordered via the internet through such outlets as Barnes & Noble, Inc. and Amazon.com. In addition, her books can be found in the collections of many school and public libraries throughout the U.S. and Canada and in some libraries abroad.

Nine of her books have been recorded by Recorded Books, New York. The books are all unabridged and are read by talented professional actors. The following titles are currently available and may be leased or purchased:

• "Cat Running"
• "The Egypt Game"
• "Song of the Gargoyle"
• "The Witches of Worm"
• "The Headless Cupid"
• "Gib Rides Home"
• "Gib and the Gray Ghost"
• "Spyhole Secrets"
• "The Ghosts of Rathburn Park"

Here is a reprint of Zilpha's autobiography originally published in 1985 by Gale Research in Volume II of their "Something About the Author" series. The autobiography is updated here to include more recent titles and events.

If you would like to learn more about Zilpha's writing methods, click here to view a copy of "To Be a Storyteller", an article she wrote about her writing techniques that was published in the July 1993 issue of The Writer magazine.

In response to letters from boys and girls, Zilpha sends them a letter that answers most of the more commonly asked questions. In addition, she aften adds personal remarks as appropriate to each letter. If you have questions or comments for Zilpha after reading her letter, you can use the following address to send e-mail to Zilpha and she will answer as time allows.

Excerpts from four books are available through this link: "The Headless Cupid," "The Egypt Game," "Cat Running" and "Song of the Gargoyle".

A video tape interview with Zilpha is available through Tim Podell's "Good Conversations" series. The interview received a favorable review in School Library Journal in February, 1999.

Teachers' Guides for "Cat Running", "The Egypt Game", "The Gypsy Game", and "Gib Rides Home" are available through Random House Publishers. Locate Zilpha's name in the index and click a desired title.

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